Chinese entertainment starts with idols

Chapter 36 Let it pass naturally

Lin Feng thought his dating rumors with Deng Shuang wouldn't break until tomorrow, and he was even planning to handle them privately through his agency.

To his surprise, as soon as he returned to the hotel, the news was already circulating online, with even pictures appearing.

"Lam Tai and Deng Shuang photographed kissing, their relationship suspected to be exposed!" "Idol newcomers' on-screen romance turns real, they're just friends to outsiders."

This entertainment reporter seems a bit unethical. Didn't you say you'd expose it tomorrow? Why did you report it today? I'm really afraid things might get complicated if I wait too long!

As rising stars, Lin Feng and Deng Shuang's rumored romance attracted a lot of attention. With fans from all walks of life joining in, the rumors quickly spread and made headlines on major media websites.

Lin Feng's "pure fans" are cursing: What is Deng Shuang? She's a bean sprout. How could she be worthy of Lin Feng? She must have seduced my brother!

Deng Shuang's "pure solo fans" are also criticizing: Then who is Lin Feng? He is just one of the four male leads in Meteor Shower, while our Deng Shuang is the absolute female lead. He is not good enough for our Xiao Shuang!

Only the two of them are having a blast as "CP fans": From the drama to real life, I love shipping them so much! From Deng Shuang's little expression when she secretly looked at Lin Feng last time, I knew she really liked him. Because the eyes don't lie when you love someone, this is probably what love looks like!

Casual fans, on the other hand, were simply there for the spectacle and didn't mind the drama. They had a lot more to say: "This is definitely another publicity stunt, a common trick used by Tianyu Media!" "Are they starting this publicity now to build hype for the second season of 'Meteor Shower Again'?"

Lin Feng hadn't told his agent, Hu Shan, about this. She had already come to his door, and upon meeting him, she eagerly asked:

"Lin Feng, what exactly happened between you and Deng Shuang? It's all over the internet now, and fans are arguing like crazy! Even Boss Long called me personally just now to ask what's going on!"

"Sister Hu, calm down. I didn't expect it to turn out like this. Well, what's done is done. Let's think about how to deal with it."

Lin Feng encounters problems, solves them, and then reviews the reasons. There's nothing else to discuss now.

Hu Shan was surprised that Lin Feng remained so calm despite facing such a big problem, and couldn't help but admire him even more. She went straight to the heart of the matter, "So, are you and Deng Shuang actually dating? Everything else is fine, but this is what the fans are most concerned about?"

"We didn't talk, we really didn't talk."

"Then how do you explain your private kissing? What does that even mean? There are photos of it!"

"Well, how should I put it? Well, the situation is like this: Deng Shuang was pursuing me, but I rejected her. Then she insisted on a farewell kiss, and I couldn't bear to refuse."

Finally, when we were kissing, the paparazzi took pictures. That's how it happened. I'm telling the truth, Sister Hu, you have to believe me!

"I believe you! I really believe you! But my belief is useless; you need to convince the public and fans. The key issue right now is that there are photos of you kissing, and the public and fans won't believe it!"

"Yes, this is indeed a core issue." A rare look of panic appeared on Lin Feng's face.

"Well, there's really no way to explain this. There are photos and evidence, so no matter how you explain, it won't work. No one will believe you. People will only believe what they see with their own eyes!"

If you ask me, you'd be better off having a real relationship with Deng Shuang, even if it's just a fake one. I can talk to Deng Shuang, and I'm sure she'll be willing to cooperate.

After things calm down, if you're truly compatible, then all the best. If not, you can announce your breakup; in the entertainment industry, breakups and makeups are commonplace.

This reduces the risk of negative public opinion, gives fans an explanation, and prevents anyone from labeling you a "scumbag" or attacking you.

This is indeed a good way to quickly quell the fans' anger. Lin Feng didn't lose anything. It's just that he just rejected Deng Shuang, and now he wants to create a CP and romance with her. This slap in the face comes too fast and is too shameless!

This is not something Lin Feng can do. He still has his pride, and he really doesn't want to have anything to do with Deng Shuang anymore. He's fine with being criticized, but he doesn't need it.

"Sister Hu, I don't want to be a hypocrite. The truth is the truth, and even if others don't believe me, I will still say it. As for the consequences, I'm willing to bear them."

Furthermore, Deng Shuang and I are truly not going to get together. I've already clearly rejected her, and I don't want to engage in this publicity stunt with her. I don't want to take advantage of her, get all the benefits, and then just walk away.

Ultimately, this was just a celebrity public relations crisis, not as complicated as it seemed. There are many mature methodologies that Lin Feng could refer to, such as Yang Tianzhen's two-step method for handling celebrity public relations crises:

First, we need to determine the facts and whether it is our responsibility. If it is our responsibility, what should we do? If it is not our responsibility, what should we do?

Secondly, there's the response strategy: should we respond promptly or let it pass? If we respond promptly, how should we respond, and who should respond? If we want it to pass, should we say nothing, or use other means to divert public attention?

Regarding the romantic scandal between Lin Feng and Deng Shuang, firstly, in terms of facts, Lin Feng is undoubtedly responsible; there are photographic evidence to prove it, and he cannot escape or evade it.

Secondly, there's the issue of response strategy. A timely response is definitely impossible; neither admitting nor denying it will work, as it will only amplify the impact of the matter.

Therefore, the best response strategy is to let it pass. To put it bluntly, celebrities should bury their heads in the sand like ostriches, let the audience criticize them a bit more, and it will eventually pass. In an even worse scenario, they can use other celebrities' scandals and gossip to divert public attention.

It's like when Lao Luo (Luo Yonghao) attacked Xibei. If Xibei hadn't responded at all, the matter would have been over in two days at most. But the owner of Xibei insisted on saving face and had to respond, so who else would he attack but Lao Luo?

"Sister Hu, I think we should just handle it like this. No one should reply. Let the audience criticize for a couple of days at most, and let it pass naturally."

"That's fine, but if we don't say anything, it'll be the worst thing for you. You'll lose followers, and you'll never be able to shake off the 'scumbag' label, right?"

"So what if I lose fans? They'll come back with more work. As for scumbags, they're scumbags. I don't need them to be perfect. Maybe an imperfect idol is the safest one."

Some idols portray themselves as too perfect, and their careers could collapse just by smoking a cigarette, like a certain Yuan; some celebrities change girlfriends like they change clothes, and still manage to thrive, like Feng Moufeng and Lin Mouxin.

Lin Feng himself doesn't need to be perfect; having a few blemishes is actually good. It can lower the public's expectations of him, so that a slight crisis won't cause his career to collapse.

"Sister Hu Shan, after this promotion for 'Meteor Shower Again,' I don't want to work with Deng Shuang anymore, including attending events. Please help me coordinate and arrange that."

Seeing that Lin Feng had said that, Hu Shan didn't say anything more, and could only say to Deng Shuang, "The falling flowers are willing, but the flowing water is heartless!"

When Hu Shan told Deng Shuang about Lin Feng's handling of the situation, Deng Shuang couldn't believe it. There were clearly better ways to handle it, but he didn't use them; he just wanted to distance himself from her.

"I'd do anything for him, and how could he be so foolish! He'd rather bear the infamy than create some publicity for me; it seems he really doesn't like me!"

Now Deng Shuang was completely resigned. She would not only keep Lin Feng in her heart, but she would also record him in her personal diary, which already contained many entries about him.

She also wants to write this down completely; it's her memory. Perhaps one day, when she achieves success, she can compile these trivial matters into a book and share it with her fans.

Moreover, she had already decided on the title of the book: "Deng Shuang's Book".

......